


For Just a Moment

by RedRowan



Series: Stars and Horns [12]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Female Matt Murdock, Rule 63, The Defenders (Marvel TV) Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-08 20:37:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18902215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRowan/pseuds/RedRowan
Summary: Tony Stark is unpleasantly surprised when Mattie Murdock reappears in New York.  He's even less pleasantly surprised when he finds out there are ninjas after her.





	For Just a Moment

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, my poor, neglected Defenders fic. It's gone through a few different versions, trying to figure out the best way into this story. I thought it would be longer, but it turned out that it wanted to be kept short, told from a limited point of view. Sometimes they do that. Fics are weird.

The first warning Tony has that Mattie Murdock has come back to the States is from a Homeland Security bulletin. It’s the middle of the night, and he’s literally still naked from his call with Pepper in California (it was that kind of call), when FRIDAY says, “Boss?”

“Yeah, FRIDAY?” he says with a sigh.

“You wanted to be notified if there were any security notices about Steve Rogers and his team.”

Tony tries to ignore the chill that spreads from his core. “Which one?”

“Matilda Murdock. Homeland Security was called to the headquarters of Midland Circle Financial in Manhattan. The company claims she broke into their offices.”

“Did they get her?”

“She’s still at large.”

“Any sign of Rogers or Barnes?” If Mattie Murdock is back, then Steve - _Rogers_ \- can’t be far behind.

“Nothing in the reports.”

“Show me.”

FRIDAY brings up the various Homeland Security reports and documentation (none of which Tony _technically_ has clearance to access, but it’s their own damn fault for having shitty security). There’s security footage from the Midland Circle cameras of Murdock and two other women running through the office halls. He watches the lobby feed, showing the three of them elegantly cutting their way through a Homeland Security strike team. Well, two of them move elegantly - Murdock and an Asian woman who looks vaguely familiar. The third one just tosses guys left and right.

“Any ID on her friends?” he says.

“This one -“ FRIDAY zooms in on the third woman, the frame showing her throwing an agent with one hand - “has been identified as Jessica Jones. She’s a private investigator in Midtown, and a known associate of Murdock’s.”

“What about the other one?”

“Homeland Security has not identified her.”

“I think we can do better than that,” Tony says.

“On it, boss.”

Tony waves his hand, and watches the lobby footage again.

“FRIDAY, what were the casualties for the strike team?” he says.

“Five non-critical stab wounds, three concussions, two broken arms, and a dislocated knee.”

_Non-lethal._ Tony remembers watching different footage of Daredevil, three dozen catastrophes ago, in the gym in Avengers Tower. Clint had liked Daredevil’s style. Bruce had liked that Daredevil didn’t kill.

And Steve - _Rogers_ , dammit - hadn’t said a damn word, even though he had to have known who she was.

“Got it, boss,” FRIDAY says.

“Hm?”

“Her name is Elektra Natchios.” Images of Natchios appear - a high school photo from a fancy Swiss boarding school, a Greek passport. “According to official records, she’s been dead for over two years.” A coroner’s report, a notice of a memorial mass.

“Well, she seems pretty sprightly. What’s her connection to Murdock?”

“She left millions to Murdock when she died. Beyond that, there’s not much information available.”

Tony looks at the array of images in front of him. A glance at the witness report shows a name he recognizes: Alexandra Reid. He extends his hand and pulls the report towards him.

_Huh._

Seems that it was Reid’s assistant who called Homeland Security on Murdock. Nothing reported stolen, although some Midland Circle employees were injured.

Tony groans and runs his hands through his hair, because as much as Ross likes to label Murdock and Rogers as terrorists, he knows she wouldn’t risk showing her face Stateside unless the shit were about to get real.

“FRIDAY, when Rhodey wakes up, tell him I’ve gone into the city.”

“Sure thing, boss.”

A few days in New York won’t hurt. He can check up on Peter. Maybe see if Alexandra’s free for lunch, try to oh-so-casually suss out what the fuck’s going on.

And maybe get to Murdock before Ross does.

“And I want everything you can find on Midland Circle Financial.”

“You got it.”

There’s a lot on Midland Circle Financial, it turns out. Over the next day, Tony tries to sift through the interconnected threads between Midland Circle and Mattie Murdock.

There’s John Raymond, the architect who designed the building - goes missing, then Jessica Jones (there she is again) finds a crapton of C4 in a hotel room Raymond rented, and then apprehends Raymond in her own apartment. Raymond was in custody with Homeland Security, until he hanged himself in his cell.

There’s the attack on the Storefront Medical Clinic the day Tony arrives in New York, injuring a few patients. Homeland Security was monitoring the building. Claire Temple, Murdock’s old business partner, goes off the grid after that.

It’s only a few hours after that when Mattie Murdock surfaces again. This time, it’s an arrest record in Harlem. It takes Tony less than ten minutes to fly there from Pepper’s brownstone on the Upper West Side. The desk sergeant gapes at him long enough for Tony to take charge.

“Murdock, where is she?” he says, not stopping.

“Interrogation room two!” the sergeant calls after him.

“FRIDAY?” Tony says under his breath.

“Take a right here,” she says in his ear. He walks past some offices, crowded with people who look deeply uncomfortable being there. Out of the corner of his eye, he thinks he recognizes Trish Walker, of all people.

He sees the placard on the interrogation room door, and walks right in.

Or, he would, if the door weren’t locked.

“FRIDAY, people are looking,” he says.

“There’s a card reader, boss.”

Tony looks to the right, and sure enough, there’s the little black box on the wall. Tony holds his hand out so the band around his wrist almost touches the reader, and the door clicks.

“Much obliged,” he says, pushing the door open.

Murdock is cuffed to the table, smirking right at him. There’s a woman with “detective” written all over her, staring at him with an exasperated look and her arms crossed over her chest, and a chubby blond guy in a suit sitting next to Murdock.

“Hi, Tony,” Murdock says.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” the detective demands.

“Tony Stark. Iron Man. Current head of the Avengers.”

“This is a police interrogation, you can’t be here.”

“I think you’ll find, under the Sokovia Accords, my authority is pretty broad.”

Murdock snorts.

“This isn’t an Avengers matter -” the detective says.

“It could be,” Murdock says, cutting through the pissing contest Tony was getting himself into.

“What my client means -“ starts the guy next to her, Tony met him once, can’t remember his name. Some sort of cute nickname.

“What I mean,” she says over him, “is that there is a threat to this city that is beyond the capabilities of the NYPD. No offence, Detective.”

“I’ve dealt with powers before,” the detective says dryly.

“They’re not all as cuddly as Luke Cage.”

“That why you’re back?” Tony says.

“Yes.”

“Where’s Rogers?”

“He’s not here, Tony,” she says wearily. “Neither is Bucky.”

Tony takes her in, really looks at her. She’s wearing a red pantsuit, it looks like. Her knuckles on the table are split, and there are dark circles under her blank eyes. No sunglasses, this time.

He glances at the detective, who just looks back at him evenly. She gives a long sigh and waves him to a chair.

“We’d just be handing her over to you or Homeland Security,” the detective says, taking a seat herself.

Tony sits.

“What were you doing at Midland Circle?” he says.

“You’re getting ahead of yourself, Tony,” Murdock says. And she _smiles_. Tony glares at her, not that it has any effect. “So there’s this mystical city called K’un-Lun…”

Half an hour later, Tony is sitting back with his arms crossed. The detective, Knight, mirrors his pose.

“You expect us to believe all this?” she says.

“Not you, Detective,” Murdock says. She points at Tony. “Him.”

“Magic ninjas - you’re kidding, right?” Tony says.

“You hang around with the literal Norse god of thunder, Tony, how is that more plausible?”

“Thor’s…Thor,” Tony says. “Electricity and a trick hammer, fine. But you can’t _cheat_ death.” His hand is clenched on the table. “You just can’t.”

Murdock cocks her head, and for a moment, all Tony can hear is the blood rushing in his ears.

“It doesn’t matter if you believe me,” she says, her tone soft. “I’m not asking you to fight the Hand for me, but those people out there need Avengers-level protection while this is going on.” She leans forward, elbows on the table. “And I know that FRIDAY’s been telling you exactly how much of my story lines up with everything else that has happened.”

Knight gives Tony a _look_. He ignores it.

“John Raymond,” he says. “He one of your…what’d you call them?”

“The Chaste.” She at least has the decency to look embarrassed by the name. “Not that I know of. Whatever he was planning, he was on his own.”

“So what happens if I walk out of here?” Tony says. “Pack you off to the Raft and call it a day?” He knows the answer to that. Rogers will come for her, and go right through anyone who stands in his way. Nat and Sam and probably Wanda would be right there with him. So would Barnes.

“I don’t know,” she says. “But whatever the Hand are planning at Midland Circle, it’s bad news for New York. There’s something under the building - Jessica got pictures - and we think they did something that caused the earthquake -“ She breaks off, as if she’s listening to something in her ear, then sighs.

“What?” Knight says.

“Nothing.” She shakes her head, as if she’s clearing it. “They caused the earthquake, we’re pretty sure about that. I can stop them.” She grimaces for a second. “ _We_ can stop them, but _I_ need to be sure that the civilians are safe.”

“The - you mean the…” Tony gestures out the door.

“They all started showing up just after she did,” Knight says. “I told Luke there better be a good explanation, and all I’m getting is magic cities and zombie ninjas.”

“To be fair, that does seem to be pretty integral to the whole thing,” Murdock’s lawyer friend says.

“I run a task force,” Knight snaps. “Organized crime. I have dead kids piling up, and she’s feeding me a Bruce Lee movie.”

Murdock freezes, inhaling sharply.

“Shit,” she whispers.

“What?”

“They’re here.”

“FRIDAY?” Tony mutters.

“Nothing, boss,” comes the voice in his ear.

“You think I’m going to fall for that?” Knight says, leaning on the table.

Murdock leans forward. “I think you’re a smart woman. I think you take serving and protecting seriously, and I think that Luke Cage trusts you to do the right thing. And I think you know I’m not bullshitting when I say that we will be under attack in less than ten minutes.” Knight hesitates. “If you don’t believe me, ask the people outside. They can tell, too.”

Knight straightens up. “I’ll be back,” she says, every word a threat. “Nobody go anywhere.”

Tony holds up his hands as she strides out. The door closes like a gunshot.

“The fuck?” Tony says, at the same time Murdock swears.

“What?” her lawyer says.

“She took the keys with her,” Murdock says. She swings her foot up onto the table, and Tony sees the tiny seam in her boot heel as she pulls a thin little lockpick from it.

“Probably shouldn’t be doing that,” Tony says, leaning back in his chair.

“You _could_ just bust me out,” she says as she fiddles with the lock.

“Could. Won’t. Kinda want to see how badly you’re going to get your ass kicked when she comes back.”

“Lucky you.” The cuffs drop to the table with a clatter, and she’s sliding the lockpick back into her boot when the lights go out.

“The lights went out,” her lawyer says.

“I know.” And, quieter, “Shut up, Stick.”

“What?” Tony says.

“Not you.”

Great, Steve’s girlfriend has possibly gone crazy. Tony sighs. “So, what you were saying about magic ninjas?”

He hears a scraping noise as her chair is pushed back.

“You want to find out if it’s true?” she says. He hears her moving around the room, and glances at the door. The light on the card reader is off. The door opens. The yellow emergency lights fill the doorway, silhouetting Murdock, black against gold. She holds the door open.

Fuck her. Fuck her for pushing his goddamn buttons. Of course he needs to know if it’s true.

He stands up and grabs the door from her.

“I’m not doing this for you,” he says.

“I know. C’mon, Foggy.”

She leads the way down the hall to where Knight is trying to keep some order among the rapidly panicking civilians. Tony recognizes Elektra Natchios as she emerges into the hall and tosses Murdock a pair of clubs, which Murdock catches one-handed. Behind her is an old man drawing a katana.

“Foggy, I need you to stay with the others,” Murdock says.

“Right.” Lawyer guy, Foggy, hustles into the office, passing Danny Rand, Luke Cage, and a pretty Asian girl who also got the memo about swords.

“Colleen, Jessica’s in Interrogation One, the doors are unlocked. Grab her and the two of you start moving people from that end down toward these offices.” She points back towards the interrogation rooms. “We don’t want anyone caught in the crossfire. Luke, you and Stick do the same for that hall.” She points in the other direction. The girl, Colleen, heads off in the first direction, and Cage and the old guy head off in the other.

“What the hell -“ Knight storms out into the hall. “You can’t just - you need to go back into that interrogation room -“

“Detective,” Murdock says, and Tony knows that tone. He’s heard it often enough, and not from her. “I need you to keep the people in there safe. If anyone gets past us, you’re their only defence.” Murdock turns away, leaving Knight gaping. “Tony,” she tosses over her shoulder, and he could swear he heard Rogers’ voice, “you might want to suit up for this.” 

She strides away, Natchios and Rand trailing after her. Tony watches as Natchios reaches into her coat and pulls out a pair of sai.

He stares at Knight. Knight stares at him.

“You don’t…really believe her, do you?” Knight says.

“What’d the others say?”

“That a ninja death cult were coming after Danny Rand.” Knight frowns and unholsters her gun, positioning herself in the doorway. She lifts her eyebrows at Tony. “You got a weapon?”

Tony taps the housing on his chest, and the nanites stream across his chest and over his body.

“That’s something,” she says.

Ohhhhh, if Tony were ten years younger and not in love with Pepper…

People start streaming down the corridor from both directions, crowding the doorway, asking too many questions that Tony, frankly, can’t answer. Knight shouts to be heard over the din, and Tony turns up the volume on the Iron Man armor so he can direct people out of the corridor.

There’s a sound of screaming from one end of the hall, the direction that Murdock went. 

“Detective!” he shouts. He leaps into the air, flying above the heads of the people still in the hall, and he can hear Knight fighting her way upstream behind him. He turns two corners, and finds himself at the intake desk. The counter has been demolished, and there are two uniformed cops hiding behind the debris with their weapons drawn, a few civilians scattered around, trapped on the other side of the ninja battle taking place in the middle of the room. Tony watches Murdock run up a wall and flip elegantly over a sword that swipes at her legs. Luke Cage tosses a red-robed ninja through the double glass doors leading outside, before ducking so Rand can use his back as a springboard to leap at a cluster of ninjas.

“Guess she was right,” Tony says as Knight skids to a halt next to him. She just stares at him, wide-eyed, before she snaps into action.

“Get those people into the back!” she shouts at the uniformed cops, before she has to duck to avoid being hit with a throwing star.

Tony powers up, blasting repulsors at anything in a red robe, but at close quarters, even with FRIDAY’s targeting system, he can’t just mow them down. Knight runs through the fray to help the trapped civilians, and Tony tries to clear a path for her.

More ninjas pour through the shattered doors, and Tony sees Rand in a one-on-one fight with someone who looks like a leader, while Murdock dives into the centre of their forces. 

Cage is hit with a burning arrow, and while he seems unconcerned, it distracts him while he puts out the fire.

Tony blasts a ninja who had tried to grab a civilian as a hostage, and Knight rushes forward, grabbing the injured man and helping him to his feet. They hobble towards the back, and Tony sees a ninja aiming a sword for Knight’s head, and he blasts that one, too, but it’s too late, he didn’t see the other one, the one with the blade on a chain that cuts through Knight’s arm as she tries to protect the civilian.

“Misty!” Cage yells as Tony blasts the second ninja. Cage charges through the battle, throwing ninjas left and right, and then he’s scooping up both Knight and her charge, one over each shoulder, and he’s barrelling towards the back, Tony covering by placing himself in between Cage and any projectiles that come his way. Throwing stars and arrows bounce off his armor.

“Danny! Now!” Murdock screams, and Tony looks over to see Rand’s fist is glowing gold, like his veins are lit up from inside. He throws the glowing fist at his opponent, who sails through the shattered doors and onto the street outside. Then he leaps and sends the fist into the floor.

Once, during a training session, Tony and Rhodey had accidentally crossed repulsor beams. The resulting shock wave had knocked both of them out of the sky, and flattened a couple of unlucky trees. Danny Rand’s fist hitting the floor feels exactly like that.

Murdock is the first back on her feet. She and Rand take care of any of the ninjas still conscious.

“Someone want to tell me why we didn’t open with that?” Tony says as he drags himself to his feet.

“We needed all of them to be inside,” Rand says.

“Uh-huh.” 

“They’re going to come back,” Murdock says. “More of them, and not just these minions.” She nudges a body with her toe. “Please, Tony.”

Tony looks down at the body, and right next to it is Knight’s severed arm. He stares, transfixed. It seems so slender, almost delicate, for such a tough woman.

“Tony?” Murdock’s voice cuts through.

“FRIDAY, tell Rhodey we need a quinjet to this location,” Tony says. “And have the medical staff on standby for its arrival. And call Helen Cho, see if we can fly her in immediately.”

“Right, boss.”

“Thank you,” Murdock says.

“Yeah, well,” Tony says.

They walk to the back to tell the huddled masses that the battle is over. They find Cage putting pressure on Knight’s wound while a woman Tony recognizes from her picture as Claire Temple leans over Knight. Colleen, Jessica Jones, and Trish Walker, all three showing cuts and scrapes, come up to Murdock and Rand.

“They tried to come down from the roof,” Colleen says.

“Thanks for taking care of that,” Murdock says, clapping Colleen on the shoulder, and it’s so…familiar to Tony.

She gathers people around her, and stands on a chair so they can see her, emergency lights turning her suit blood-red, hiding the stains. She splits the groups, sending the people connected to her and Rand and Cage and Jones out to the front to wait for the quinjet, tells the cops to call in reinforcements from other precincts. She tells them they’ve been brave, braver than most would be, that they can be proud of themselves for protecting one another. She speaks in a tone that Tony remembers too well, in a voice that could command a god, the way Steve used to. Then she steps off the chair and leads her group out.

“Iron Man?” one of the cops says.

“Yeah?”

“Is…she on your team, now?”

Tony takes a moment to think that one over.

“Yeah. You know. For this one,” Tony says.

He strides after her, retracting the armor as he walks, and doesn’t let her out of his sight.

Cage and Temple lay Knight down on the ground, while everyone else huddles together, quiet and wide-eyed.

“How long until the quinjet gets here?” Murdock says.

“Ten minutes,” Tony says.

She nods, and cocks her head, turning her face towards the gap where the doors used to be.

“Should be safe enough,” she says quietly. “Thanks, Tony.”

And bold as brass, she turns to walk out.

“Hey! Hey! You’re not going anywhere!” he calls after her.

She stops, but just turns her head back towards him.

“You can’t stop me, Tony.”

“Hell I can’t. Last I heard, you were still under arrest.”

She shrugs.

“Sure, but not by you.” She turns around, then. “Take care of them.”

He raises his right hand, the nanites swarming over it to form his gauntlet.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he says.

“You won’t,” says another voice. A massive hand closes over Tony’s, and Cage steps in front of him, blocking Murdock with his bulk.

“Don’t do something you’re going to regret, big guy,” Tony says.

“I’ll regret the city falling more,” Cage says calmly.

Tony fires the repulsor straight into Cage’s palm, and immediately regrets it when the force is trapped between their hands. That’s going to hurt in the morning. Cage grunts, but doesn’t let go of Tony’s hand, so Tony waves his left hand, sending the nanites flying, forming pieces of his gauntlet, hurtling towards Murdock, the way he trapped Killian in a suit oh so long ago. But the pieces never reach her. Instead, Rand leaps in between them, letting the pieces wrap around his arm, pinning him to the ground.

“Jess!” Cage shouts, and Jones rushes past Tony, faster than any normal human, and Tony catches a glimpse of red as Jones scoops Murdock into her arms and sprints out the door.

There’s a sound of splintering metal, and Tony looks over to see Rand pulling his glowing fist from the shattered pieces of armor on the floor.

“Don’t break my stuff!” is all Tony can say.

“I’ll pay you back,” Rand says with a smug grin.

Cage finally lets go of Tony’s hand, and Tony retracts the nanites. His hand is already starting to swell up, turning unpleasantly dark red. Tony glares at Cage.

“I know where she’s going,” he growls. “You think you and Glowy Hands over there can stop me from going after her?”

“It’s Iron Fist,” Rand says.

“Yeah, there’s really only room for one iron-themed name around here, and at least I don’t sound like a porno.”

“We can’t stop you,” Cage says, cutting off Rand’s response. 

“And they don’t have to,” says lawyer guy, Foggy, standing up. “It’s your choice to go after her or not. But according to the Sokovia Accords, you can’t.”

“What? I’ve got a standing order to arrest any of - them.” Tony gestures lamely out the door.

“You’ve also got an obligation to brief the Oversight Committee on any threat that could require Avengers intervention.” Foggy gestures around him. “I’d say this counts.”

Tony stares at him.

“She put you up to this?” he says.

Foggy shrugs. “I kind of became an expert on the Accords when my best friend decided to violate every single clause in them.” He pauses. “She also said she hoped all you needed was an excuse.”

Tony doesn’t want to respond to that. Instead, he looks around.

“Where’s Natchios?” Tony says. “And the old guy?”

“Old guy jumped off the roof after we cleared it,” Colleen says, as if it’s perfectly normal.

“They’ve gone to Midland Circle.” Tony meets Cage’s eyes, and Cage stares back, unimpressed.

“This is a lot bigger than just Midland Circle,” Cage says calmly.

“Yeah, I’m getting that.” So big that an international fugitive risked everything just to get his attention. He looks at the people whose safety she left in his hands. “Tell her she’s got until morning, and then I am coming down on Midtown like a pillar of divine fire. Tell her in those exact words.”

Cage just nods, while Rand grins.

“Morning works for us,” Rand says.

“Get out of here, go give her a glowy, bulletproof hand.”

Rand bounds out the door with Colleen at his heels, while Cage gives Tony a searching look.

“What?” Tony snaps.

Cage just smiles. “Nice to meet you, Mr Stark.”

He strides out, leaving the room feeling a little emptier in his wake.

Rhodey arrives with the quinjet a few minutes later, and helps Tony load everyone on. As they take off, Tony calls the Mansion’s medical staff, and hands the conversation over to Claire Temple, who updates them on Knight’s condition. The flight home is twenty minutes, then Knight is carted off to the med bay, Rhodey is sorting out guest rooms, and Tony takes a shower.

It’s during the shower that FRIDAY informs him that Midland Circle has been bombed.

“Well, domestic terrorism is a new look for her,” Tony says as he turns off the water. He decides to put on pants before calling the Oversight Committee.

Secretary Ross, of course, takes the lead after Tony gives the redacted-Cliffs-Notes version of the evening.

“What’s this I hear about Mattie Murdock being released from custody?” Ross says.

“She wasn’t exactly _released_ , more… fled.”

“While you were present.”

“I was occupied. Due to the extenuating ninja circumstances.”

“Don’t bullshit me, Tony, you lost her.”

“Technically, the NYPD lost her first.”

“And now she’s blown up a building.”

“That’s speculation.”

“NYPD are reporting more disturbances in Manhattan that appear to be ninja-related.”

“Well, would you look at that,” Tony says blandly. “Is she winning?”

There’s a stony silence on the other end of the line.

“The reports do seem to indicate that the ninjas are being defeated,” comes another voice, Tony can never remember her name.

“That’s not the point -“ Ross says.

“Tony, thank you for the report,” the other committee member says over Ross. “We’ll discuss the matter and call you back.”

“Great,” Tony mutters as FRIDAY cuts off the call.

It’s only ten minutes before they call back, telling him that the situation has not been deemed to require Avengers intervention.

“The NYPD and Homeland Security will take the lead,” Ross says. “I need you to send over any video you took of Rand and the others breaking the Sokovia Accords.”

“I got nothing,” Tony says.

“Tony -“

“Didn’t see any of them breaking the law. The precinct was attacked, they supported the police officers in defending the building. End of story.”

“Tony, they were working with Murdock -“

“Coincidentally. You know, due to being under attack from ninjas. Speaking of which, _is_ she winning?”

“I’ll have Homeland Security send someone over to take your statement,” Ross growls. “Good night.”

Tony tracks down Rhodey in the kitchen, making coffee, and gives him the good-ish news that they’ve been grounded. Rhodey just shrugs.

“Guess I’ll get some sleep, then,” he says.

In the lounge, Tony isn’t surprised to find Foggy scrolling on his phone.

“FRIDAY, bring up the news feed on what’s happening in Midtown,” Tony says.

Foggy jumps at the sound of his voice. The screens on the wall come to life, showing news reports. 

“Guess it’s kind of obvious,” Foggy says.

“You’re worried about her,” Tony says with a shrug.

“Do you? Worry about them?”

“They can take care of themselves.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

Tony watches footage of Murdock swinging through the air, a splash of bright red against the darkness.

“Was she always like this?” Tony says.

“A cocky pain in the ass?” Foggy says. “You should see her in court.” 

“I have.”

“Right.”

The news cuts to talking heads, babbling nonsense.

“I know what you mean, though,” Foggy says. “I think…she’s actually letting herself be happy, now.”

Tony thinks about a ring on Pepper’s finger.

“Good for her, I guess,” he says. He turns to leave. “Oh, and you work for Jeri Hogarth, right?”

“Hm? Yeah.”

“Tell her the Sokovia Accords might be coming for her clients.”

Foggy stares at the screen, where a picture of Rand has just popped up.

“I’ll let her know,” he says, and starts typing on his phone, and Tony feels just a little bit sorry for whoever shows up to try to arrest Danny Rand now.

Back in his bedroom, Tony looks out over the dark compound. The lights on the driveway are still on, but the lawn and the woods beyond are a sea of black beneath the stars. Peaceful. Safe.

It’s an illusion, of course. Temporary. But he’ll take the moments whenever he can. He’s learned to let himself, too.

**Author's Note:**

> "A voice that could command a god" is a description of Steve Rogers from Frank Miller's "Born Again" arc.
> 
> I'm blog-redrowan on tumblr - come say [hello](https://blog-redrowan.tumblr.com)!


End file.
